“Rifles carried by Spokane police on patrol will soon be equipped with suppressors, a move the department says will protect officers and civilians from hearing damage.” That report’s from the spokesman.com.
Gee, it’s almost as if suppressors aren’t really the preferred tools of criminals, assassins and double-naught spies after all. It turns out they’re really just common sense safety accessories meant to protect gun owners’ hearing. Who knew?
“It’s nothing more than like the muffler you put on your car,” said Lt. Rob Boothe, the range master and lead firearms instructor for the department.
Huh. Why didn’t we think of that? Muffling gunshots won’t just protect officers’ hearing, they say it will save the city money, too.
Outfitting the department’s 181 service rifles with suppressors will protect the city from the legal costs of worker’s compensation claims filed by officers, as well as from potential lawsuits filed by bystanders whose ears are exposed to firearm blasts. The sound of a fired shot can be louder than the takeoff of jet engines, the department says.
Pretty much a win-win for everyone.
If only someone would introduce legislation so that we could reduce the cost and increase the availability of suppressors for all of America’s tens of millions of gun owners.
Shown Here:
Introduced in House (01/09/2017)Hearing Protection Act of 2017
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) eliminate the $200 transfer tax on firearm silencers, and (2) treat any person who acquires or possesses a firearm silencer as meeting any registration or licensing requirements of the National Firearms Act with respect to such silencer. Any person who pays a transfer tax on a silencer after October 22, 2015, may receive a refund of such tax.
The bill amends the federal criminal code to preempt state or local laws that tax or regulate firearm silencers.
Now that’s #gunsense!
Reduced liability for all! It’s all in how you frame it.
Tax payers MIGHT be on board in hippy land since it saves the taxpayers money over decades, but they’re not jumping on the boat to allow all of us deregulated stuff.
One person at time, I’m explaining why guns, machine guns, and silencers are needed. Hearts and Minds.
*Suppressors
Regardless of the legal terminology this is more accurate, plus it’s less “scary” to the average gun-muggle to say “suppressor” rather than “silencer”
Good luck.
Wonder if the cops feel the same about the same equipment on civilian guns….hmmm
Most likely the cops in Spokane DO feel the same about silencers on civilian guns, since the area is pretty much purple and most police (at least in relatively low population density places) tend to slant a bit conservative.
Unfortunately, as a state, WA is hard-core blue. And it seems that gun control, once wildly unpopular here, is gaining more and more traction as the population swells with the ranks of California-style liberals, as opposed to Northwest-style liberals who didn’t care about people owning guns.
Most of the people are actual Californians…So not just California style
Not all the IT types are California. Seattle software employers also imports scores of off-shore IT types from India and China, the majority of which I’m guessing are anti-gun, or if they are ambivalent, are soon schooled by the aforementioned California liberals.
Only the urbanized coastal part is hardcore blue. The rest of WA state is very red. Unfortunately, as with most states, the urban progtards in their vertically stacked blue dots outnumber the rest of us in the wide-open rural areas.
This map (which you’ve probably seen before) tells the story. http://rynerohla.com/index.html/election-maps/2016-presidential-general-election-maps/
As we all know, who owns the most square miles does not determine elections. Rather, the most votes determines elections. And for that reason, small areas of very dense population will tend to win elections.
Yes, this is true. It’s why the states have equal representation in the Senate and the electoral college exists. Otherwise California’s surplus Democratic votes would overwhelm Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, and Nevada combined.
Same here in WA. Since there’s a legislative chamber with equal representation for each region, the progbots haven’t been able to vote the Second Amendment away from the rest of us despite their 90% megamajority in the Puget Sound…yet. Now that they’ve hacked the initiative process, all bets are off.
“Now that they’ve hacked the initiative process, all bets are off.”
We need to attack that oversight in the SCOTUS.
And it just so happens, we now can do it…
ING, you are DEAD WRONG! Spokane, is the second largest city in the state and is situated smack-dab in the middle of nowhere. The Spokane City Council is extremely blue with only one brave conservative (Mike Fagan) out of seven.
The City Council president is an un-shaven greasy-haired bun-head by the name of Ben Stuckart that rivals the likes of Ton Hayden for his socialist tendencies.
Spokane is a haven for bums, hobos and methheads taking advantage of the copious free housing, free food, free medical care, free clothing, free transportation, etc. ad-nauseam proffered to the indolent. Taxes are high and getting higher by the day. Voters of the City of Spokane voted to prohibit the private sale of any firearm in the form of I-594 just a short time ago, and will undoubtedly approve I-1639 this November that will further violate the Sate and Federal Constitutions by criminalizing self defense, make felons of the victims of burglary, and mandate state registration of all firearms.
Spokane is officially a Sanctuary City as codified by the Spokane Municipal Code.
Most support the 2A. They have relatives who are not LEO, and who can only carry guns under the 2A. They also deal with criminals, psychos, junkies, and gang bangers, cops know laws and restrictions don’t really keep firearms out of the hands of some of these people.
Suppressors for Civilians is a grass roots, non-partisan, common sense, gun safety organization that aims to protect the health and wellbeing of law abiding citizens. Just like all automobiles are required to have seat belts, air bags, back up cameras, blind spot monitors, emission control systems, and a third break light, all firearms should have the option to be equipped with integrated suppressor with a threaded barrel. It’s about choice. It is a common sense safety initiative. If suppressors only save the hearing of one child suppressors are worth it. If your against Suppressors for Civilians your against the health and wellbeing of the children, and your against choice. Every real American should feel good about protecting the children, healthy decisions and individual choice. That’s why we should all get behind Suppressors for Children, and Civilians.
It WOULD be making firearms safer… as dems/libs have been clamoring for…
Right there is our argument: Suppressors are safety equipment, full stop. Talking about how and why confuses the issue. Suppressors make guns safer. Suppressors make guns safer for shooters, for bystanders, for children, for pets and working dogs and literally everyone else. Forget the how and the why and all the collateral issues (reduced flash and noise and all) and focus on the safety.
Whether we like it or not, whether it’s the end of civilization and critical thought, the reality is that we live in a world dominated by sound bites and catchy slogans and low information voters. Don’t expect anyone to concentrate on anything for more than 15 seconds or to think about it at all after the stimulus has passed. “SUPPRESSORS MAKE GUNS SAFER!” Is short and to the point. Perhaps “GUNS WITHOUT SUPPRESSORS ARE MORE DANGEROUS!” would also work.
This type of messaging is effective. Arguments may back them up, but the statement is what’s noticed and remembered. Once someone accepts the premise, they aren’t likely to rethink it, and starting with argument to arrive at declarations doesn’t work in the low information short attention span world we are living in.
Consider also “GUNS SAVE LIVES” and “STATES (cities) WITH MORE GUNS HAVE LESS CRIME!”
This kind of messaging really works. Thought of another way, if it wont fit on a bill board, bumper sticker or a tweet, there is too much information, pare it down of you want to be heard.
Someone please tell anarchyst that last part before he posts his stupid tome again…
Much as I hate to admit it, you’re absolutely right, particularly in the age of hashtags. I’ve only recently come around to this way of thinking, but I’ve come to adopt it in the overall scheme of gun control as well. “Anti-gun=pro rape” or if they want to pull that “we’re not anti-gun!” bullshit then go with “gun control=rapist protection”. Concise, to the point, fits in a hashtag, based on visceral emotion (who doesn’t have a gut level revulsion at the thought of rape?)… and accurate.
Though I would say you’re being generous with the claim that folks won’t spend more than 15 seconds on something. I don’t know, maybe that’s true with older folks, but for my own generation, most of whom spend entirely too much time on social media and reading clickbait bullshit, it’s probably closer to 2-3 seconds. That’s part of why I use the litmus test of “can this reasonably fit in a hashtag” if I’m trying to really appeal to the low information, low attention morons
Well, they want the gun owners to die, not other innocents!
“The urge to save humanity is almost always a false face for the urge to rule it.”
-H.L. Mencken
If there was a like button here, I’d mash it a hundred times for this quote.
Mencken really knew his stuff, which is probably why he was a misanthrope.
No, no, you’ve got it all wrong.
I have it on good authority (from a bunch of Moms, and moms can’t lie) that the assault weapons all the police carry, including their high-capacity pistols, are only good for one thing: spraying bullets and killing mass amounts of people. Adding silencers only proves that the police really do intend to murder us all, very quietly, in our sleep.
As of September 2017, the Hearing Protection Act of 9 January 2017 has yet to be passed into law. By either the US House of Representatives or the US Senate! So “WHAT” Hearing Protection Act are we talking about?
You are correct. The bill is dead unless the senate [powers that be decide to revive it after the midterms. Which seems unlikely after Vegas (even though no suppressor was used). I understand that unless acted upon by the end of the year, it is dead.
On top of that, we have to wait and see whether Cornyn’s national reciprocity bill will, as promised, be brought back up after the elections.
Bet you a hundred bucks both of those bills go nowhere.
The Republican party is gutless. They want the Second Amendment vote, but don’t want to follow through. They’re too afraid they’ll look like meanies and get disinvited from all the cool cocktail parties.
Let’s wait 3 weeks and find out. We might get a pleasant surprise…
I’d be wary of crowded venues if it looks at all like those bills could be revived. I’m not claiming anything, but given that, several times, there was a mass shooting shortly before legislative action on some level was scheduled to happen with both of those bills, well…. once or twice can be brushed off as coincidence, but if a pattern has clearly been established it becomes much harder to ignore….
I know, I know, my tinfoil hat is firmly in place. But look it up if you don’t believe me, it’s quite a… striking… coincidence. And one that solely benefits the party that’s made it very clear they love them some political violence, even.
Again the scum cops are wasting tax payers money on toys. When was the last time they fired a sniper rifle at a criminal? They can still use muffs for training. Typical useless cops.
Wow dude, what cop finger banged sister behind 7-11 to get you this angry?
The poster might just be a little tired of certain police departments looking the other way while commies run the streets. Or maybe the poster is tired of being used by crooked cops for steady revenue generation because they found themselves on the wrong road at the wrong time. Or maybe the poster is just tired of the almost zero accountability that goes along with that blue line. Police are people, but with more power than normal people. People are terrible by nature, power generally doesn’t help, and without strict accountability the power takes over.
+10
…..
Sniper rifle? This is for patrol rifles. As stated in the article, “all service rifles.” Many if not most departments have effectively replaced shotguns for patrol purposes with AR15s — just look in a police cruiser and see what’s mounted by the center console (some departments keep ’em in the trunk instead).
The Spokane PD began seriously looking into suppressors a few years ago when I was still in the area. The disability claims for hearing loss are a MASSIVE and continually-growing expense (which is the same for most PDs plus other LE and Mil agencies). Then, during a shooting, an officer fired his AR15 next to his cruiser and the blast from his muzzle brake blew out the driver side window of the car. The department — may have been county Sheriff’s dept — made a “no muzzle brakes” policy immediately after that and began looking at suppressors for a long-term solution. At first it seemed too expensive, but weighed against disability claims it saves beaucoup bucks.
You are not going to fix those disability claims like that! Remember. bad guys shoot at the cops! So the cops will STILL have hearing loss unless the bad guys’ guns are suppressed, too! Let’s see, how can we do that? I know! Let’s suppress *all* firearms! What a PLAN!!
Try shooting a gun yourself without ear pro and then being even a few feet away from a gun being fired without ear pro. The sound energy dissipates VERY quickly with even a few feet of distance
But they are MORE EQUAL than you.
You are stupid, and it is showing. Are you still bitter about a ticket or something else? Or are you just another sovereign citizen clown? There are thousands of idiots who cannot handle their lives, and have the cops come to their house every freaking week. I can guarantee you the cops could live without these idiots, but not the other way around! Argument with the spouse? Police involved. Had too much to drink? Police involved. Can’t handle the kids? Police involved.
Sniper rifle? You sound like the alt left gun grabber idiots with their “assault rifle”.
Hear muffs? They use them, per policy, because of liability, and because if they shot without it and reported some health issues their insurance would be more than happy to say “nope, not covered, sorry”.
You don’t seem to have a clue, but I hope you feel better after venting a bit.
I am curious if the police have to wait 7-9 months for ATF go ahead and pay a $200 tax stamp for each.
……because they should have to IMO!!
They have to have the item on question on department letter head and I do believe it’s a tax free transfer on a certain form number maybe 2?
What would it change for you? Do you also want them to carry concealed after obtaining a permit/license where open carry is not legal? Do you want them to obey all traffic laws when responding to all calls? Don’t call them if you live in Spokane and it bothers you, they can probably survive not dealing with you.
That you scoff at the notion of requiring cops to live by the same rules they force us to live by says a LOT about you, none of it flattering.
Ahhh….so this is for the citizens’ protection, huh? They have that many shootouts within earshot and damaging range of innocent bystanders do they, that they need to outfit rifles with suppressors?
Hmm…considering that lifelong disability cases frequently cost more to settle than do wrongful death suits–not to mention police officers’ already pitiful record of avoiding shooting bystanders as it is–I would be very careful if I were a resident of Spokane. You might end up with a target on your back if you’re near a shootout.
Well, they don’t call it Spokompton for nothing.
Who calls it Spokompton? I live here and we don’t call it that.
I frequently hear it referred to as Spokanistan.
But this alleviates lifelong disability claims. The cost of that, specifically for hearing loss, for most LE departments/agencies plus Mil is ridiculously high. Mostly (vast majority) it’s for the employee (cop/agent/serviceman), not bystanders, but that’s some of it.
A useless cop’s main goal is to retire on disability no matter what the reason — hearing problem, hang nail, gender change, etc.
Oh yeah because putting a suppressor will make them go wild as if they had a BB gun, it will also erase all evidence. Nobody will know the cops shot you in the back so they will do it daily. What a joke some of you are. Run, they are coming for you! Idiots.
I call #bull$hit; The real reason is to execute “No Nock”, “Red Flag” raids in the middle of the night, shoot up Citizens from “accusations” of threats made or owing a bumpstock.
IMO they’re gearing up for I-1639 to pass and/or “civil unrest”
I know, I *hate* it when they don’t secure their arrows to bowstrings properly!
Cops with silencers, oh good. “FREEZE!!!” BlamBlamBlamBlamBlamBlam, ” Was your camera on?” ” : No. ” Do you think anybody heard us?” : Don’t ask don’t Tell, let’s get out of here.
Also by H.L.,…spit on hands…raise black flag… begin…,look it up. It’s might remind some of us old timers about how it was before the progressives manufactured the Orwellian concepts of “hate speech” and “political correctness” and used them to gut the First Amendment. -30-
Pfft we can’t have any of that sensible stuff happening!
The authorities get to have whatever they want. The serfs have to ask for permission.
They should make them wait 2 years and pay the tax on each one.
Well good, now the cops can spend time cleaning the soot our of their guns instead of waiting for a high speed motorist or a chihuahua attack.
I live in Spokane Valley and yeah, after some shootouts with bad guys where they used their ARs, some of the officers were complaining how g– damn loud they were. Great idea. Why wouldn’t they put suppressors on the rifles!
I know I just bought a new AR pistol in .300 black out with every intention to equip it with a suppressor and subsonic ammo.
Washington State has 39 counties, only three in the Seattle area are blue, the rest of the state is red. Why all the cop hate? If you hate the police just for being police you are a douche bag and obviously you must have had some responsibility problems.
Don’t listen to the Chiefs and Sheriffs, they are the ones in the news with anti gun message because it is politically advantageous. Most of these guys spent their time in academia and have very little actual law enforcement experience. The majority of rank and file real cops are pro 2nd amendment, it’s just you never hear that message because they like to keep their jobs.
I am sure there are some bad plumbers out there, I don’t hate all plumbers.
Cops have a tough job, no one calls the police when something good happens!
Yes, being a glorified meter maid who has the same range qualifications as someone with cerebral palsy is hard…
I wouldn’t trust one with a garden hose if I was on fire.
The difference is that when a plumber screws up at his job, there are consequences. If he screws up badly enough that someone uninvolved dies due to his own negligence (rather than a tragic but understandable accident), he’s looking at prison time. Even without getting into the various real abuses by law enforcement or the way they manage to insinuate themselves into every little damn argument, the sheer lack of accountability and fact of them being effectively above the law is reason enough to view the blue with extreme distrust if not outright hostility
I’d have them on all my long guns too if it would not cost approximately $2000 per gun to do it. The tax stamp is only 10% of that figure. $1800 is too damn much money for a piece of pipe with some baffles in it and an adapter.The prices are ridiculous. I had my last benchrest gun built all in (less scope) for $2000. That is a better use of my money. I’ll double up on the hearing protection.
No one makes cheep suppressors because of the tax stamp. They have to be serviced by the manufacturer (any part of a suppressor is a suppressor) and can not use any wear parts. if is was not for the NFA, you could by one for $100 and replace the wipes as needed
Apparently Washington cracked the code that Hearing protection is important for their police. Too damn bad for the civies. Screw them, they can go deaf.
If I had to shoot back at somebody I don’t want a damn silencer. I want that thing to be so loud it scares the living hell out of them.
It never fails, every single article mentioning cops on TTAG the clueless idiots show up. We know the story bro, it’s not your fault you were driving 30 over the speed limit, or you had too much to drink and your DL got suspended. You knew the rules so get over it, and don’t ever call the cops trust me they can survive not seeing your face. The irony is some of the same people who cannot stand the police, have them at their house regularly for the dumbest reasons, or they drive so bad they are begging to get pulled over. I am going to run a stop sign in front of a cop and then act like an idiot during the traffic stop, then complain to all my friends, relatives, and all over the internet. It’s funny how people who have common sense can get away with a simple warning for a traffic violation. They never have the cops show at the house because they cannot handle the kids, or they decided to fight with the significant other. It’s really not that hard to avoid unpleasant interactions with the police, you should try common sense it’s great.
That’s it, they are coming for your guns and to shoot you in the back! Bwahahaha! And why don’t they have to follow ATF regulations? And why do they have lights and siren on their cruisers?
The average patrol cop is worried about the stress level, micro management, shift hours, liability, salary, pension, and going back home where he/she will have to forget all that in order to take care of the family. Glock or Sig? Suppressor or no suppressor? Aimpoint or Holosun? 9mm, 40 or 45? Most of them are okay with what they have, it’s a tool that’s it.
But but but we the tax payers….Says the idiot who votes blindly for crooked politicians who abuse and misuse public funds frequently. What a joke! Should they also trade the Charger or Tahoe for a Ford Focus?
Job title and the clothes you wear, entitle some to more rights than others. Ain’t freedom great?
I am just glad that suppressors may finally be perceived for what they are – Safety devices.
They should have gone with the Shield instead of the Patrolman. The Shield is only 1.3″ longer, a few dB quieter and most importantly comes with the bi-lug quick mount built in. Can’t see officers wasting time trying to thread a Patrolman on. I suppose if they are left on all the time with blue Loctite or Vibra-tite VC3 that would work.